There will be a total of three horses and three people representing Standardbreds, along with three horses and four people from the Thoroughbred ranks entering the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in August 2013.
The Standardbred Inductees are:
Niatross – Veteran Horse Category
Admirals Express – Male Horse Category
Eternal Camnation – Female Horse Category
Carl Jamieson – Trainer/Driver Category
William Rowe – Builder Category
Doug Harkness – Communicator Category
Niatross won a remarkable 37 of 39 career starts. He was trained and driven by co-owner Clint Galbraith, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. Niatross set 15 world records and earned more than $2 million as a racehorse. Included in his accomplishments were both a race and track record of 1:53.4 in the 1980 Prix d’Été at Montreal’s Blue Bonnets, the fastest Canadian mile at that time. After retiring to stud, Niatross sired winners of over $62 million, including three millionaires. His most famous son, Nihilator, earned more than $3 million on the racetrack.
Admirals Express captured the hearts of Canadian racing fans during a career that spanned over a decade. The son of Admirals Galley, known as the ‘Grey Gladiator’, won 86 races in 353 starts, and earned more than $2.1 million. He earned a pair of O’Brien Awards in 2005 when he was named Canada’s Older Pacing Horse of the Year and Horse of the Year. Trained by Mike Hales and driven by Paul MacDonnell, ‘The Admiral’ was owned by Ed Sayfie of Rockford, Michigan and Gary and Laurel Gust of Cedar Springs, Michigan.
Pacing mare Eternal Camnation earned more than $4.1 million, and won 47 of her 101 starts during her extraordinary career. The champion mare won numerous stakes races on both sides of the border, dominating her division throughout the majority of her racing career. She was rewarded for her accomplishments by being voted Pacing Mare of the Year in both Canada and the US three times and also received the O’Brien as Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2003. She retired in 2004 to pursue a career as a broodmare. Eternal Camnation is owned by Jeff Miller Stable of Haviland, Ohio.
Carl Jamieson of Rockwood, Ontario has been elected in the Driver/Trainer category. Jamieson, a second generation horseman and a native of Nova Scotia, has established a reputation for selecting and developing young horses. He’s enjoyed considerable success, having trained 950 winners and horses to earnings in excess of $22 million to date in his career. In addition, he achieved driving success in the 1980’s and 90’s with 1300 plus wins. Horses including Santanna Blue Chip, Elegant Killean a daughter of Run the Table, have achieved success under Jamieson’s tutelage. In 2011, Carl trained two Canadian champions – Up The Credit, Canada’s Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year and Warrawee Needy, Canada’s Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year.
The late William Rowe was involved in many facets of the harness racing industry and will be inducted in the Builders’ Category. He enjoyed success as a breeder, trainer-driver and administrator, but it was as a builder of racetracks and as a racing executive that he made his greatest mark in Canadian racing. Rowe was responsible for the construction of Windsor Raceway, Barrie Raceway and Georgian Downs. The opening of the all-weather facility at Windsor in the fall of 1965, where Rowe served as both General Manager and President, ushered in a new era in the sport, as major metropolitan centres across North America followed Windsor’s lead with year-round harness racing.
The late Doug Harkness will be inducted in the newly created Communicators’ Category. Harkness made unparalleled contributions to the harness racing industry in the Maritimes. He was the founder and editor of Atlantic Post Calls from 1979 – 2010. Doug was also involved in lobbying efforts with the government and was a passionate spokesperson for harness racing on a regional, national and international level. Doug received the City of Charlottetown award for his promotional work in harness racing and also received the President’s Award from the United States Harness Writers Association, the only Canadian journalist to be so honoured.
